Wearing apparel



Patented l June 28,v

124213,36 wEAmNG APPAREL Alfred J. Steinberger, Jamaica, YL, assig'nor to Celanese Corporation-ol Amer-icm' a corporation 'f -of Delaware Y Appucationznecember 4,19'35,sena1l`1t.15,774

` 4- cams.

This inventiony relates to improvements in wearing apparel and more particularly to improvements in garments making up mens and womens vouterwear suchv as suits,dresses and the like.,

5 An important object of n vthe invention is the provision of an improved method of making wear- 7 ing apparel in fwhich wrinkling `and puckering of the material attheseams is eliminatedand in which the lining,l padding and stiifening 4material 10 of the, coatare made more durable, non-shifting and form-fitting.

Another important object ,of this invention is theprodction o f garments which retain their original appearance and shape for a longer period l5 of time than those heretofore made" arid, which f have enhanced wearing qualities.,` e l l In one aspect this invention comprisesthe provisionin garments of a reinforcing member of j f abric which is united tothe fabric of the garmerit at the hems; seams, orother pl'aceswhere the edges of "the garment Uhavebeen lstitched in place or one tol the other. ""Ifhe employment of reinforcing members at Vthe henis, seams, etc.,

prevents the puckeringf of the material'and the A formation of wrinkles. e

' in another aspectk thislnvention g comprises the provsion'in garments of a padding structure in whichthe paddingis shaped and united to the fabric of the garment. By'lthis expedient,l the padding` does not shift during the life of the garment, 'thereby retaining in the garment Sits;

original appearance andt."

*Other objects and` advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed i description and will pointed out in the jappended claims.

`v-`#'While this invention is vvapplicable to the manufacture 'fofmens and womens outerV apparel in general, it -willbe described in connection -with a vI nans suit, ffor example, as is shown inthe .acl companyingdrawings wherein` .e f'

Figurel showsacross-section-of asection of a mans coat with partsthi'eof 4broken away;

i Figure' 2 isfa cross-sectional view' taken on line 2-2in` Figure .1; showing theconstruction of the edging of the coat Vmade in accordancelwith this invention; i Figure 3 is a crosssectionalview taker-ion line 3--3 in? Figure ,1, showing the f edging ja'nd facingl accordance Vv;ii,h-,this inven-v of the coatmadegin Figure 4 isgga-sidelelevationalyiew' olf-.fa

' coat;

u Figure 5 is` a cross-sectional view taken on (Cl. 293) 'e I l une 5-5 in Figur'ei, showmgthe pfcketfeqg made in accordancevwiththis invention; Y `Figure A6 is a side elevational view vof apairpf trousers;

Figure 'I is.a,f`c`rosssec'tionalview taken online 5 11K-,1 in Figure 6, showing the waist-band in ac-` cordanc'e with this'invention; I l Figure 8 is a cross-sectional, viewjtakcn Qn line 8-''8 in Figure 6, showinga Vside-seam,rn'ade'fin accordance with this invention; and 'f 10 'v Figure v9l is a` 'cross-sectional' view' taken on line 9 9 of Figure I, showing the thermoplastic layer attached tothematerial of the garment. A vLike rference" numerals designate like parts throughoutthe severalviews of the drawings'. In the manufacture of mens suits, a number of sections 'of cloth of'predetermined shape or p'aty tern are sewed together, there being added pad'- ding and stiflening materials, a facing of the same or different material anda. lining, when re 20 quired, for the purpose of shaping and finishing the garment. For example, in'makingv-aman's 4 coat, such as .shown in `Figure 4 of the drawings, two sections of'suiting material, previously cut.

' to pattern, are sewed together to Vform thatPart 25 of the coat which comprises one-half `-of the front and one side -of 'the finished garment... @Such a part is shown inFigure 1 of thedrawingsa porinner front which comprises one orwrnore layers of a stiffening material such as hair cloth, ,buck-,.. ram andthe like.; 'Ihe various sectionsy ofthe 35 coat body are sewed ,together in; the normal manner to form fthe Afinished garment] F'oijiu-, y

stance, the edgeof the'gcoa't'forms a ,hein'and the facing is attcnedto 'the bodytftheftaaby I-Ieretofore,` it vwas necessary toeixercise extreme care vin" theK construction of lthe seamY and means ofa nat-felled seam.

also inthe pressing orclea'ningof the' `g`"arinen`1j forj the reason that careless'-h'andling of `the-gar ment caused the 'material' thereof to `be pulledapart-at the seams; thus causing fwri'nklin'g'andluy puckering of the fabric-at the pulled seams-sin* accordance with' this invention,howeveryareinspforcingmember rofthermoplastic material is in -s` sertedin or along Athe seam. and is coalesjcedtofthe fabric oftheg'arment. By this construction, ,their fabric ofthe garment, ,under all conditionsof use, l such 'aswear vand cleaning,V is prevented from,y wrinkling and puckering. l. i y

The inner front of coats as heretofore made the garment was worn for some time, but also in number of layers of suitable fabric at least onel the dry-cleaning or washing of the coat, the stiffening material of the inner front lost its stiffness, thus causing the garmentto lose its.

original shape and appearance. Where hair cloth was used, the individual hairs thereof often become loose and worked their way out Vof the hair cloth and through the fabric orY lining of the coat,

thus reducing the efficacy of the hair cloth as a stiffening material. In accordance with this invention, the inner front is made by laminating a of the layers being of a thermoplastic material and then coalescing the inner front and. the body of the coat. A coat having an inner front in ac-.

cordancewith this invention may be washed or dry-cleaned and subjected to conditions of wear Without loss of original shape or appearance.

Waistcoats and trousers, especially the waistbands, cuffs and leg seams and creases of the latter, may also be made in accordance with this invention.

This invention is not only applicable to the manufacture of mens suits, but also to the manufacture of mens overcoats, robes, windbreakers, womens dresses, suits, coats, jackets, aswell as articles, such as hassocks, boudoir pillows, and, in fact, to any garment or article where stiffening materials and/or open or fiat-felled seams are employed.

According to this invention, strips of thermoplastic material are placed in or along the seams it is desired to reinforce and/or at least one outer i layer of the inner front is made of thermoplastic material. The thermoplastic material and the material of the garment or .article areY then coalesced by subjecting the assembly to heat andv pressure.

Any suitable thermoplasticmaterial may be employed in this invention. For the'purpose herein describedfabrics made of or containing organic derivatives of cellulose, such as organic esters of cellulose and cellulose ethers, have been found to be eminently suitable. Examples of organic esters of cellulose are cellulose acetate, cellulose formate, cellulose propio'nate and cellulosebutyrate, while examples of cellulose ethers are ethyl cellulose, methyl cellulose and benzyl cellulose. The thermoplastic material may be present in the reinforcing or liningv material as yarns or filaments or the reinforcing material may be a non-thermoplastic base with a coating or film of thermoplastic material on one or both surfaces thereof.'

The invention will now be described in greaterdetail with reference to the drawings, but-it is to be vunderstood that the following description is given by way of examplev only and is in' no way limitative.

ing material. Thecoat is built up from a number of "sections cut topattern= to fit the form of the body of the person who is to wear the same. The part of the coat shown in Figure 1 is adaptedto. form one-half of" the front and one side. of the nished'coat and comprises a forward section 2v and a side section 3vjoined together by an open. seam. This open seam may be formed in accordananas@ ance with this invention, "as will hereinafter be described in connection with Figure 8.

To the inner side of the part of the coat illustrated in Figure 1 may be attached a pocket 5 in any well known manner, and a shaping and stiening body commonly known as the. inner front'. This inner front comprises a layer of thermoplastic material 6, which replaces or may be attached to the I-Iymo. hair cloth or buckram heretofore used, attached to an intermediate layer l, usually made of canvas, the assembly being then sewed to the coat in the manner nor mally employed in coat-making. However, thev stiifening material may comprise Hymo, hair cloth, buckram and the like through which yarns or filaments of thermoplastic material are woven. The inner front assembly may be molded to predetermined shape by means of heat and pressure before or after the assembly is placed in position in the garment where it is coalesced by means of a thermoplastic layer 6 to the material of the garment. While in Figure 1 layer 6 is shown stitched to canvas layer 1, the stitching may be dispensed with and the two layers joined by heat and pressure. Also attached to the canvas layer l, as by stitching, is a layer of felt 8 which is adapted to form the inner portion of the lapel and roll of the :finished coat. The collar. of the coat is attached to forward section 2 and to the Alapel by means of a flat-felled seam 9 and comprisesV a fabric il of the same type as the suit or of a different type. To this collar fabric may be attached an intermediate layer of canvas l2 and a shaping fabric i3 comprising a'thermoplastic material. The layers comprising the collar may be joined together by stitching or by subjecting the same to heat and pressure. In this collar construction the positions of layers l2 and I3 may be interchanged.'

A facing i4, running from the bottom ofthecoat to the edge of the lapel and forming the outer face of said lapel, is attached to forward section 2 by means of a fiat-felled seam., AThis facing may be of same or different material. A lining l5 is attachedto the facing ll.

In accordance with ,my invention, I place a tape IE containing thermoplastic material around the marginal edge of the forward section 2 and side section 3, which tape extends all around the marginal edge 'and along the bottom of the coat to the side seam'as shown in Figure 1. Referring .to Figures 2 and 3, wherein the seam construction is shown in cross-section, itv

will be seen that tape i6' is sewed to the fabric 2 by means of stitches l1 and then the facing is sewed to the forward section 2 'and the tape i6 by means of stitches i8. After the forward section 2 and the facing il are turned, a nishing stitch i9 is applied. Upon subjecting this seam to heat and pressure, the tape i6 is caused .to soften, causing the layers adjacent thereto to'adhere to the same. By this construction, that is,- the coalescence lof the fabrics andv the tape, the seam will not pull apart except by the. use of unusual force and, therefore, the puckering and -wrinkling of the fabric along the edge of the coat will be-prevented. Instead of forming'the outer edge of the coat as shown in Fig- A.ures r2 and l,3, the tape fabric I6 may be placed between the forward section 2 and the layer of stiffening material 6 or, as another modicaf tion, the tape fabric i6 may be placed between the forward section 2 and the layer 6 and an additional tape fabric placed against the facing Langnese' l for the derivative of cellulose of the thermoplas- A M in such a manner as tocontact both sections of the 'fold' shown 'at 2l inFlgure 3. 1.

In Figure is shown an open felled senin formed in accordance-with thisfinventlon and with which seam the pocket is formed in the coat. This 'seam may4 be' made by `insertlng'a tape 22, similar to'ta'pe I6, betweenthe 4outerA fabric of the pocket flap indicated b y reference numeral 23 and the lining of the garment 2 4. The pocket 'assembly may be stitched together in any conventional'manner and then subjected to heat and pressure, thuscausing all the layers of fabric forming the pocket-to coalesce. By this construction the Wrinkling and puckering of the fabric is prevented and stitching around the edge of the pocket aps and the seam around the edge ofthe pocket may be eliminated.

In Figures 6, 7 and 8 this invention is show n as applied to trouser construction, Figure #showing a cross-section o f the waist band vconstruction and Figure 8' a construction of the -leg seam.- In the construction of' the waist band the fabric 26 of the trousershas attached theretoa duck or muslin band by means of stitching.

A -strip of fabric 2 9 having thermoplastic prop.- erties is stitchedas at 3l, tothe4 duck or muslin Vband which is then doubled over -so that the thermoplastic strip 29 is vadjacent tothe fabric- 26 and stitchedto s'aid fabric 26y asy at 3'2. The assembly isthensubjected to heat andpressure, the `thermoplastic fabric effecting adhesion between the outer ortr'ouser fabric 26 and the' in- 'y ner :duck' or muslin'band 2 1'; This construction produces a stiilenedwaist *bandr which is resistant to wrinkling orV rolling and, moreover, prevents the edge of the waist band, from rolling over and from losing its original flatv and neat appearance.

Y. The leg seamsof the trousers may be formed 40 in accordance with this invention asis shown in Figure 8. In this case `the two pieces of trouser material indicated 'at 33 and 34 may have placed adjacent the edgesv thereof tapes 36 and 31 of thermoplastic material and the assembly sewn together as shown at 38.4 The free edges 3 3 .and 41, respectively, of the trouser material 33 and 34 are doubled over and the assembly I subjected to heat and pressure, thus causing the coalescenceof the folded vsection 4I and the fabcotton, artificial silk, natural silk or linen. However, this invention is of particular importance in the manufacture of mens suits of `so called tropical materials, for example, linen and tropical worsted fabrics. The lining material may also be of any suitable fabric such as, for example, silk, cellulose acetate, linen, cotton or mixl they assembly formed of-several layers of fabric,

l tures of these materials. 7'0- In'order th'at the desired degree ofstiffening and adhesion be obtained upon he'at pressing either in the presence or absence of water, it is of importance that there -be present in the said assembly a plasticizer, softener or swelling agent:

' and be vapplied to the inner layers only.v l

" Any suitable' plasticizer for the Itain yar-ns and filaments of tive of cellulose.

tic "material employed in the assembly. Where the body or exposed portion of the garment or article being made is of non-thermoplastic materiaLtlie plasticizer or softener may be applied to the assembly after it is formed by dipping the saine into -a solution containing a plasticizer or y softener. However, itis preferable to apply the plasticizer vto the reinforcingstrip` or tothe material of the inner front and, in this case, no wetting of the exposed layers' o f the garment or article is necessary. While it is preferable to applyfthe plasticizer to the fabric containing the derivatives of cellulose, it may be' present in any of the'layers of fabric which contactthe fabric containing the derivatives of cellulose. However,

if, the exposed surfaces of the outer' layers of the garment or articlev are not to be 'modied, the plasticizer maybe absent from those layers 'derivafiye pf cellulose may be employed, which plasticizer may ormay not be-soluble in water. The plasticizers vmay be any4 ofthe high boiling solvents or softenin'g agents as, for example, the aryl sulphonamides such as'para-ethyl toluol sulphonamid, the alkyl phthalates-such as dimethyl phthalate, the dialkyl tartrates -such as dibutyl tartrate,

' l the alkoxy esters of polybasic organic acids such as diethoxy ethyl phthalate, the polybasic esters ofthe mono alkyl ethers of polyhydric alcohols siichfa's diethylene glycol ethyl ether ester of such. as ltriethylglycol phosphate, the aryl esters of vphosphoric acid such as tri'cresylphosphate, the -mixed' alkyl 'and aryl phosphates -such as ethylglycol dicresyl phosphate, and camphor.

Y The amount of plasticizer present is preferably phthalic acid, the alkyl esters'of phosphoric acid relatively large and on the .order of from less than-% to 150% or more of the weight of the derivative rof cellulose presentV inthe assembly of fabrics. Where the article comprises a dej rivative of cellulose body portion and an'inner .layer of cotton fabric, the amount of plasticizer applied to thev cotton vfabric may bevvas much asrthe cotton fabric .-will absorb andretain, i. e. the `cotton fabric is saturated with the plasticizer.

Where the garment or article is Ato be formed of a textile material containing thermoplasticv yarns of laments of an organic derivative of cellulose asA the outer' o r body portion, thereinforcing material such as the tape I6 may be any suitable fabriccontaining a plasticizer. However,qwhere the body vportion of an article is formed entirely of non-thermoplastic material,

reinforcing tapes. I6, 22, 29, 31, etc.`must nec` essarily'contain athermoplastic material. If dethe garment or article and the tape may conan organic deriva- To obtain good adhesion and stiifening properties, it is preferable to have Water present during the application of heat and pressure,'but it' is to be understood that this is not essential to sirecl, however, both the outer or body portionlof the -successful working of this invention. Any

afueous liquid or steam maybe applied to the assembly of fabrics in any suitable mannen' Th'us', water may be applied b y spraying or brushing the fabric with water or by padding the material with water or by vdipping the assembly in water. Where the outer or body portion of the garment or article does lnot contain organic derivatives of cellulose, in place of water there may be employed as an Aaid in coalescing the layers of fabric together an aqueous soiution of alcohol with'or withoutv a plasticizer. If steam is employed, it is preferable to employ a wet steam and the same may be injected into the material during the pressing operation in. a,

manner similar to that of pressing a woolen fabric.

Any suitable device may be used for pressing the assembled fabrics to cause them to adhere together. For instance, the fabrics may be pressed with hot irons, or the fabric may be passed between pressure rollers, one or both of which are heated, or betweeny a 'heated pressing iron or plate and a cold board or surface. The heating device may be heated to a desired temperature, for instance, 80 C. to 180 C. or more, and the pressure may be of any desired degree, for instance, from 10 to 600 pounds or more per square inch.

It is to be understood that the foregoing detailed description is given merely by way of illustration and that many variations may be made therein Without departing from thev spirit of my invention.

to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A coat comprising an 4outer material and having a stiiened front structure, said front structure comprising a stitfening of thermoplastic material at least locally coalesced to the outer material of the garment.

2. A coat comprising an outer material and having a stiened; front structure, said front structure comprising a stiiening of thermoplastic material contaningyarns of celluloseacetate at least locally coalesced to the outer material of the garment.

3. A coat comprising' an outer material and having a stiiiened front structure, said front structure comprising a, stiifening of thermoplastic material preformed to a predetermined shape and atleast locally coalesced to the outer material of the garment.

4. A coat comprising an outer material and `having a stiii'ened front structure, said front structure comprising a stiffening containing ce1- lulose acetate yarns of thermoplastic material preformed to a predetermined shape and at least locally coalesced to the outer material of the garment.

ALFRED J. STEINBERGER. 

